Back in 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired general manager James Gladstone to capture some of the pixie dust Les Snead has sprinkled on the Los Angeles Rams over the last few years, and his trade deadline activity shows that Gladstone has well and truly learned from what his old boss did when his championship window opened.
The Jaguars got Monday started off by acquiring Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons for a package headlined by a second-round pick in 2027. Only a few hours later, Gladstone acquired Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a monster offer that included a first-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2029.
These moves all seem like what Snead would do if he were in charge. The future is now, and Gladstone is not going to let a chance to compete for a championship go by the wayside due to his inactivity.
Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone's all-in push reminds fans of Les Snead
Much has been made of the dichotomy in older, more conservative coaches compared to younger, often offensive-minded names like Liam Coen that are more willing to be risky. Based on the Jaguars, and other teams run by more neophyte minds, young GMs will trade picks for veterans more readily.
Gladstone has now traded a second-round pick for a fringe All-Pro player in Bates, but he has no guarantee that Bates will return to this team in the short-term future. Rather than let rookie Albert Regis try to develop, Davis is now going to provide the Jaguars with high-end run-stuffing in a way few in this league can.
These moves came at a price, however. Jacksonville doesn't own a pick in the first two rounds of a 2027 NFL Draft that is widely regarded as incredibly deep, and their ability to replenish cheap talent could be thrown out of balance with multiple high-end contract extensions starting to weigh heavily on the team's books.
Jaguars GM James Gladstone is going for it all in 2026
However, as Gladstone's mentor in Snead has shown over the years, none of that matters if they are hoisting a Lombardi Trophy at the end of these efforts. Through solid scouting and pivoting off players before they needed to be paid, the Rams have stayed competitive, and the Jaguars could try to recapture that magic.
Jacksonville may be the type of franchise that needs to be a bit cavalier. They are not a marquee destination for superstars, and they have never appeared in a Super Bowl. Gladstone seems to believe that this year and the next handful of years are going to be his best chance at breaking through.
The Jaguars may fail in their pursuit, but Gladstone seems to subscribe to the notion that going down swinging and taking risks in the name of pursuing a fleeting chance of dominating the NFL is better than sitting idly by. That mindset should be respected, especially since the safer choice would be the inverse of what he's done.
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